"The standard of nursing care was ..."

The standard of nursing care was excellent on the whole, with one or two exceptions highlighting how good the others were. I mostly felt that my welfare was very important to the nursing staff.

What could be improved

On discharge from hospital I was not told of relevant things that subsequently occurred, such as the length of time it takes to get over general anaesthetic (which I found out from others) or the fact that my toes would become alarmingly bruised. A fact sheet on what to expect would have been extremely helpful, as well as info on how to look after the cast on my leg and what would be indicators to get worried about and which were OK. I relied a lot on a friend who is a nurse for this information after leaving hospital.

Anything else?

The floor and bedding were kept clean, and everyone seemed to take care in washing their hands. However, this could not disguise the fact that the walls were simply filthy, with flaking paint (Ward C4).

Responses

I am pleased to read that the standard of nursing care that you received was on the whole excellent. We have achieved high standards in our cleaning and infection control protocols, however we are aware that some areas in the hospital need more detailed works carried out.

I have spoken to the trauma co-ordinator regarding the issue that you raise on the lack of aftercare information. She has advised me that we are in the process of producing factsheets on procedures and aftercare information. Hopefully it will not be too long before it is implemented. I do hope you are doing well now and thankyou for raising this very important issue with us.